Best Adults-Only All-Inclusive Cruises
Adult-only cruises that are also all-inclusive are the holy grail for travelers looking for a vacation that's simultaneously child-free and hassle-free. Viking Ocean cruises, Virgin Voyages and Saga Cruises are your best bets for kid-less bliss without being nickel and dimed at every turn. However, other cruise lines come close to providing adult-oriented sailings, with scarce children and all-inclusive benefits.
With that in mind, we've rounded up the best all-inclusive, adults-only cruises -- plus, some additional lines and itineraries to consider that come close.
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Best Adults-Only All-Inclusive Cruises: Viking, Virgin Voyages and Saga
These three cruise lines stand out for their commitment to adults-only cruises while offering inclusive pricing.
Viking Adults-Only Cruises on Oceans, Rivers and Beyond
Viking Ocean Cruises are adults-only, as are its river and expedition cruises. The minimum age on all Viking ships worldwide is 18. Fares include a shore excursion in every port, Wi-Fi and meals in all restaurants including a chef’s table experience. Wine, beer and soda are served with lunch and dinner. Cocktails are a la carte or included in a spirits package.
Viking Ocean, Expedition and Mississippi River ships also offer no-charge self-serve laundry facilities, and on ships with in-room mini-bars, complimentary stocking of a range of drinks and snacks (dependent on your stateroom category).
In ports that require transportation into town (like Piraeus/Athens), coaches are provided at no charge. If you return to port with a bottle of wine from Tuscany, there’s no corkage fee to drink it on board on any Viking ship.
Of course there are some exceptions to Viking's all-inclusive fares. Gratuities, drinks outside of meal times, and select shore excursions will cost extra.
Outside of the Mediterranean, Viking Alaska cruises are an easy choice for those seeking adults-only cruising during busy summer travel seasons to regions that are otherwise popular with families.
Viking Ocean cruise ships, including those among its newest like Viking Vela and Viking Vesta are almost identical, each carrying 930 adult passengers; all cabins offer private balconies. Viking Expedition ships, Octantis and Polaris carry 378 adult passengers, and its river ships across the globe all carry fewer than 200 passengers.
Virgin Voyages for the High-Energy Cruiser With an Adventurous Side
“Adult-by-Design Virgin Voyages” is more than a marketing slogan. Virgin cruise ships offer an adults-only big-ship experience that brings boundary-pushing vibes. Think risqué shows, lively nightlife and the like. Virgin's passengers are called sailors and all on board must be 18 and up.
While fares aren't entirely all-inclusive, they include basic nonalcoholic drinks, Wi-Fi, gratuities, fitness classes and meals.
Virgin's Scarlet Lady, Valiant Lady and Resilient Lady focus on Caribbean ports and Mediterranean hotspots like Ibiza. The ships carry over 2,500 passengers and rooms are designed to accommodate one to four adult passengers.
Saga Cruises for the 50-Plus Cruiser
Saga Cruises, a British boutique cruise line, offers small-ship sailings exclusively to passengers over 50 years of age. Fares include all meals at any restaurant, gratuities, Wi-Fi, most drinks (wine with lunch and dinner plus soda, house spirits, draft beer and mocktails), fitness classes, transfers to and from the ship and shuttles into town from port.
The line has two ocean ships, the 999-passenger Spirit of Discovery and the 999-passenger Spirit of Adventure, both with all balcony staterooms. Saga cruise itineraries include the Baltic, the British Isles, the Canaries and the Caribbean.
Saga river cruises feature the same level of included perks on adults-only sailings aboard Spirit of the Danube and Spirit of the Rhine.
Adults-Only Cruises That Aren’t Quite All-Inclusive
P&O Cruises’ Adults-Only Option
P&O Cruises offers two adults-only (18+) cruise ships: the 1,874-passenger Aurora and 2,094-passenger Arcadia. The British line is a good choice if you want a kid-free experience on a larger ship, but expect typical add-on pricing, not all-inclusive.
The line offers itineraries that range from three to 100 nights on these two ships, some are round-trip cruises from Southampton, others are point-to-point segments of a 100- night world cruise.
Marella Cruises Offers One Adults-Only Cruise Ship
Marella Cruises launched its first adults-only ship, Marella Explorer 2, in 2019. Fares on the 1,814-passenger vessel include both tips and a choice of drinks (alcoholic and nonalcoholic). Four of its nine eateries are specialty restaurants that come with added charges. You must be 18 to sail.
Four All-Inclusive Luxury Cruise Lines That Aren't Adults-Only
If you're after a true all-inclusive cruise, you may decide to opt for a luxury line. Yes, fares will be higher, but you'll be spoiled for choice with perks. These four lines typically don’t have age restrictions that make them true adults-only cruises, but high fares, longer itineraries and less theme park-like destinations tend to discourage many families from booking.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises Offer the Most Base Fare Inclusions
Regent Seven Seas Cruises offers the most inclusions of any luxury line in its base fares. That means all tips, drinks (including mini bars), a wide array of shore excursions in every port, shuttles into town when needed, main dining rooms and specialty dining, one account of unlimited Wi-Fi per suite, as well as airfare and airport transfers. Regent's six ships range in size from 490 to 750 passengers.
You can expect some kids on Regent Seven Seas' Alaska and European cruises in the summer, so if you're set on cruising at that time of year, opt for longer cruises that families may shy away from.
Silversea Cruises Feature Door-to-Door All-Inclusive Cruising
Whether you choose Silversea for an expedition to Antarctica or a luxury Alaska cruise, fares include most drinks, some excursions, tips and transfers. Additional charges may be incurred for some premium drinks and specialty restaurants. In addition to onboard perks, Silversea's all-inclusive cruises include transfers from your door to the ship and back.
Silversea has 12 ships, four of which are luxury expedition class ships. Capacity ranges between 100 and 608 passengers. While children are allowed onboard, most cruises outside of summer season in popular regions (like the Caribbean and Europe) set sail almost child-free.
Crystal Cruises Covers the Globe With Two All-Inclusive Ships
Crystal’s two ships, Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, offer an all-inclusive cruise experience that includes gratuities, all drinks, an evening of dining in specialty restaurants, 24-hour room service and Wi-Fi.
Children are allowed onboard, but as with most high-end luxury cruise lines (with the possible exception of winter holiday cruises in the Caribbean and week-long Alaska cruises), very few passengers are under 18.
Seabourn’s Country Club Vibe Is All-Inclusive Pampering
On its seven ships, Seabourn exudes a country-club vibe with an emphasis on pampering. Caviar and champagne are yours upon request any time. Also included are a fully stocked in-suite bar, gratuities, all specialty restaurants, Wi-Fi and signature events like an Evening at Ephesus or Caviar served in the surf or on the ice in the Arctic and Antarctica.
Other Options for Almost Adults-Only Cruises
There are other lines that, while not banning children outright, might still be right for you, so don't rule out the following options.
Most River Cruises Are Nearly Adults-Only
Most river cruise sailings have few, if any, children onboard. They also tend to have more inclusive fares that include beer, wine and soda at dinner, plus at least some shore excursions, along with Wi-Fi and bicycle use generally included.
Adults-only cruising is the standard for Viking River cruises, which, as mentioned above, requires all passengers to be 18 and older. The minimum age to sail on some river cruise lines, including Emerald Waterways, Grand Circle Cruise Line and Scenic is 12 to 13.
Most other lines adhere to rules similar to those of AmaWaterways, which bans children under age 4 and discourages kids younger than 8 years old.
You can expect extensive all-inclusive cruise offerings from Tauck and Uniworld as well, which offer free airport transfers, all alcoholic drinks all day and night, gratuities, mini-bars and even extra-special events like dinners in castles.
Adult-Focused, Small-Ship Cruises with Few Children
While ultra-premium lines Windstar, Oceania and Azamara are a slight step down from the previously mentioned luxury lines, the focus is almost entirely on the adults. None of these cruise lines have planned activities for children, which works as a bit of a deterrent.
Azamara's four vessels carry roughly 700 passengers each and fall just shy of being all-inclusive. Tips, nonalcoholic drinks, a limited menu of alcoholic beverages (select standard liquors and beers, plus house wines), self-service laundry and the AzAmazing Evening are all included on every cruise.
Excursions, transfers, premium alcohol, internet and specialty dining generally cost extra on Azamara.
Base fares on eight-ship cruise line Oceania include only Wi-Fi, nonalcoholic drinks and meals in main and specialty restaurants. Other inclusions can be added as packages and under the line’s all-inclusive rate options, which include some shore excursions, airfare and transfers.
Windstar has a fleet of six ships (with two more on the way). Three are sailing ships, three are motor yachts, most with capacities just over 300 (the two smallest sailing ships carry only 148 guests). There are no children’s activities. Note that you might encounter a few children on summer cruises in the Mediterranean or holiday sailings in the Caribbean.